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Make It Easy:  Making maple syrup  |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 05 2010 : 07:40:45 AM
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Well, we took the plunge and tapped 12 sugar maple trees in our bush this week! It's great sap-running weather, and so far we have collected about 25 gallons of sap, as of last night. Today we are going to have to start boiling it.
Hope we can do this right! Has anyone else made real maple syrup here?
We have an old wood stove out there that we've had modified to hold an evaporator pan.
Lori
Farmgirl Sister #183 |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3318 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3318 Posts |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4738 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4738 Posts |
Posted - Mar 05 2010 : 10:16:49 AM
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My "Windy Pines" cousin, Michele, taps her maples and makes the most delicious syrup every year. I still have some from last year. We just love it.
Dawn in IL |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Mar 05 2010 : 11:14:47 AM
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My family ran a maple syrup business when I was a kid! I loved it! The days were so LONG though! Up early to collect sap and then watching the boilers late into the night. So fun though!
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.eggsandherbs.com
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2010 : 09:11:40 AM
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It sounds like a lot of hard work. But I love pure maple syrup. My pastor and his wife are both from NY state and their familes do this. They are going up this month and I've ordered a gallon. I can't wait to get fresh maple syrup again.
I wish you luck Lori. Have ya'll done this before?
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2010 : 09:23:25 AM
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This is our first attempt, so I hope we do it right! We've been doing a lot of reading...!
My husband is going to start boiling this morning, then we hope to get it to the "near syrup" stage late this afternoon or early evening, and then transport it back to the house to finish indoors, as it will probably be dark outside by then.
The bush is about a mile away from the house. We want to do as much of the boiling outside as possible--don't want all that moisture inside the house (especially with my soap curing!).
I'll let you know what happens!
Lori
Farmgirl Sister #183 |
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Mikki
True Blue Farmgirl
1510 Posts
Mikki
Austin
Indiana
USA
1510 Posts |
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LakeOntarioFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
933 Posts
Brenda
North Rose
NY
USA
933 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2010 : 04:13:59 AM
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Oh how fun Lori! Husband and I used to make our own when we lived in our old house. We did it for about 5 years in a row. It was definitely fun, definitely hard work, and definitely delicious!!!! We would boil ours indoors on our wood stove, but we had a big old victorian house with huge rooms and high ceilings. We had the kids to help us back then, now that they're grown, we just buy it locally!
Have fun, it's definitely a great experience!
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
Nothing we achieve in this world is achieved alone. It is always achieved with others teaching us along the way. Lee J. Colan
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4185 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4185 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2010 : 05:04:46 AM
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We just tapped out trees yesterday. The sap was running nicely. We cook ours outside also, finishing for about a half an hour in the house. Do you have a hydrometer. I think that is what they are called. It tells your when your syrup is done. You can also tell by taste, when it is done. The hotter the fire the better, so the sap cooks quickly. Also never losing the boil is best. My husband did rig up a drip system, from our holding tank to the pan. I can control the amount of sap flowing into the pan with a ball valve. Works great. We use small dry sticks and branches to have a hot fire. I strain ours though milk filters.
Good luck
Michele |
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Mikki
True Blue Farmgirl
1510 Posts
Mikki
Austin
Indiana
USA
1510 Posts |
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chaddsgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
843 Posts
Sarah
Farmgirl Sisterhood #639
MO
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Mar 08 2010 : 3:09:10 PM
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I hope the syrup turned out well! I would love to have the opportunity to go up north and do that sometime. It sounds like so much fun!
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan
Deeperrootsfarm.etsy.com |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2010 : 1:58:23 PM
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I am soooo tired--and it was awesome! We boiled Saturday, Sunday and Monday, using an old wood stove and an evaporator pan on top, with two additional stock pots on the back shelf of the stove.
It is so much work, and what a lot of wood! We can't keep up to the sap right now. The smell is amazing, like the smell of the waffle stand at the fair. So far we have made just over 3 litres (approx. a little more than 3 quarts). We are boiling all day, then getting it to the "near syrup" stage, then carefully transporting it 1/2 a mile on foot in a stock pot out of the bush, driving back to the house (another 1.5 miles), then finishing it on the stove, filtering it and sealing it in Mason jars. Whew, I'm tired just describing that!
We do not have a hygrometer, but are using a thermometer to get it to the right temperature, then filtering it through an Orlon filter we got from the syrup supplier. The syrup is beautiful and crystal clear, no sediment.
This has been a wonderful family activity for us. I will try to post some pictures when I get a chance.
Lori
Farmgirl Sister #183 |
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Mikki
True Blue Farmgirl
1510 Posts
Mikki
Austin
Indiana
USA
1510 Posts |
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OregonGal
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Chris
No. IL
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2010 : 9:16:30 PM
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| Lori, I am making maple syrup now too. I only have 6 taps so mine is a very small operation indeed. I call the Maple steam, God's perfume. It smells so delicious, wish I could bottle that! I make mine in my deep fryer right outside the picture window of our eating area, so I can keep an eye on it and add more sap as it evaporates off. I did forget one time to watch it and ended up with maple sugar instead of syrup - but its still usable and I'll be giving it as a treat to my granddaughter when she comes to visit. It sure is a fun thing to do and so good on buttermilk waffles. Hope you make lots of it!!! |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4185 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4185 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2010 : 08:55:30 AM
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Lori, I was just looking at those orlon filters for syrup. Wondering how it worked, and if it is worth it or not. Does all the syrup go through the filter at one time? Or do you have to rinse it off sometimes? For 37 years we have used milk filters, and time for an updated change! Our sap run has slowed way down to almost stopped. Cloudy weather, and now rainy. Hopefully it gets back to be nice weather for a good run.
Michele |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2010 : 09:20:55 AM
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All our syrup goes through at one time, but we are only getting about 3 pints done per day. Our supplier says it will filter 2-3 gallons before it clogs. You can buy paper prefilters for them, too, to save the orlon filter from clogging so fast(but we didn't get these). We bought the cone shaped one, but you can buy flat sheets, too, and fashion your own over a pail, etc. Cleanup is hot water only, no soap. Ever.
So far we are very happy with this filter ($15.95 well spent). We are both rookies, zero experience in syrup-making, just read some books this winter and jumped in! But it's been a great team activity for us, and our nearly adult kids.
We are expecting rain Friday, so we are boiling again today and tomorrow. It's getting muddy out there, with the warm weather! In the low 50s today. We have boiled every day since Saturday!
Lori
Farmgirl Sister #183 |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4185 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4185 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2010 : 10:40:21 AM
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Sounds like you guys are having a good run. Our weather still is not cooperating. Long range looks good though. Warm days and back to freezing at nights. That will sure get the sap flowing again. Thanks for the info on the filters. Good luck
Michele |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2010 : 6:18:51 PM
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We did maple syrup for the first time this year. My fiance went all out and built a sugar shack (although I'm also keeping my bee equipment out there as well). We have a half-pint evaporator from Leader. We tapped 80 trees. But, everyone around here is having a terrible year for syrup-the nights just haven't been getting cold enough. We did end up making about 3 gallons of syrup-lots of fun and lots of work. I think we're about done for the season as the long term forecast shows it not getting any colder.
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 06:43:08 AM
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The sap run has slowed right down here, too. Same here, nights are too warm. We have made about 12 litres (like quarts) of finished syrup. First week we were getting #1 medium grade, then the trees took a little rest, and when they started up again, the finished syrup has been darker #2 amber from then on. Tastes fabulous! It's been a great experience. We are now debating about going bigger next year, but that will mean a larger investment in equipment...
Lori
Farmgirl Sister #183 |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 08:34:09 AM
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Lori, that does sound like alot of work. I was reading someone's blog and they had about 20 gallons of sap and only got 12 pints of syrup. You would need thousands of trees to get enough syrup. But I love maple syrup. I didn't realize there was so much to it. No wonder it's so expensive. Bot oh so worth every drop.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Mar 23 2010 : 05:11:05 AM
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Our trees started up again, yesterday was a good day, and I spent the whole day in the bush from 10 am to 6 pm! The 3 jars of syrup turned out very dark yesterday (like the colour of balsamic vinegar). Is this how it goes, it gets darker as the season progresses? How do you know when the sap has gone "buddy"? We have read that this is when you stop, as it tastes different.
I did a grand total last night, and from 12 trees we have made 12.65 litres of finished syrup. The info we read said that you can expect 1 litre per tap in a good year, so I guess we are doing well, with our 12 taps.
It is definitely a lot of work, and I have a whole new appreciation for this product! But it's been a great experience for us, nice husband & wife teamwork.
Lori
Farmgirl Sister #183 |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4185 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4185 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2010 : 04:39:10 AM
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Our first 2 cookings turned out syrup that was very dark. The third cooking, done with sap that was one day, and two days old, turned out super light. So we were thinking that the longer the sap sits, the darker the syrup??? I have no idea! Either way it tastes great.
You can keep gathering sap till it gets a slight greenish color almost. About the time the trees start budding out. OUrs has been a slow season. We have 29 taps, so we just do it for ourselves. We gather everyday, and usually we get a milk can full of sap. The most we got one day was 2 cans. And that was only one day this year. The weather warmed up too fast. We have gotten about 5 gallons of syrup. Hopfully we will have one more cooking. The weather looks like it will be warming up again next week.
Michele |
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Rea231
True Blue Farmgirl
139 Posts
139 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2010 : 2:05:14 PM
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Lots of work but the finished product is so very worth it!
The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery. |
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Make It Easy: Making maple syrup |
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Making maple syrup
